


when the music’s too loud

by badgerfrog



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Autistic Zuko (Avatar), Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Sokka (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar) Has ADHD, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26387701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badgerfrog/pseuds/badgerfrog
Summary: Zuko and Sokka have to leave a party early when Zuko becomes sensorily overstimulated and has a meltdown. Back at their apartment, Sokka comforts Zuko.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 503





	when the music’s too loud

**Author's Note:**

> Modern AU — Zuko and Sokka are both seniors at Ba Sing Se University and live together off-campus. They have known each other, along with the rest of the gaang, since high school, but started dating in freshman year of college.

Halfway through the party and a loud conversation with Toph about the horrible taste of whoever chose the music, Sokka realized Zuko was missing.

To be fair, it was really loud and there were a lot of people moving around — oh no. It was really loud and there were a lot of people moving around.

"Oh no," he whispered. "Toph, I gotta go."

"Everything okay, Snoozles?" she asked, and he touched a hand to her shoulder. 

"Yeah, I'll call you soon. Give me a few minutes, I need to do something."

It was kind of unfair to leave Toph hanging like that, but her feet were no good at sensing in a crowded room with music thumping through it. Besides, she'd easily pick up a conversation with someone else, probably even manage to win a few arm wrestling matches or something, and she would understand when Sokka called her later. But for now, the priority was to find his boyfriend. 

Sokka made his way through the crowded room — spirits, it was so crowded, how had he not noticed? — while punching Zuko's number into his phone. No answer. He tried again, then again. Answerless both times. 

When he bumped into Jet, Sokka was so frantic that he started yelling unprovoked.

"What the hell, Jet!" he hissed. "You told me this party wasn't gonna be too loud! Now Zuko's gone somewhere and I can't find him!"

Jet threw up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry, dude! I didn't know it was gonna be this bad. Usually Chan and Ruon-Jian keep the music pretty low so the neighbors don't complain, but I think Lo and Li are on vacation or something. You can't find Zuko?"

"No, I can't!" Sokka said, starting to shake with panic.

"Hey, hey," Jet said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think I'd be too great at helping you find him, but I saw Aang and Katara a minute ago. They were over there," he said, pointing to the corner. Sokka said a quick thank-you and kept moving through the crowd until he spotted Aang, jumping up and down and spinning around with Katara while they both giggled.

He managed to get through a few huddles of people until he was next to them. "Have either of you guys seen Zuko?" he asked, and Aang motioned that he couldn't hear.

"Have either of you guys seen Zuko?" he yelled, much louder this time, catching the glances of a few people around them, but Sokka didn't care. He needed to find his boyfriend.

Katara's smile dropped. "Oh, no," she said. "I haven't. Not since we drove here."

Aang shook his head when Sokka glanced over, confirming what Katara had said.

"We'll help you find him," Katara said, looking at Aang, who nodded.

"Yeah, we'll help," Aang said. "Where do you think he is?"

"I don't know," Sokka replied helplessly.

"Have you tried calling him?" Katara asked.

"Yeah, but I didn't get an answer. I think his phone is out of charge, you know how he keeps forgetting to get the battery replaced."

Katara nodded.

"Where would you go right now if you were Zuko?" Aang asked. "I like it here, because I like loud music and dancing, but Zuko doesn't. So where would he go?"

"Oh my god, I'm so stupid," Sokka murmured. "He probably went outside. I'll go check."

"Do you want us to come with?" Katara asked.

Sokka shook his head. "If he's not doing good, he probably doesn't want a bunch of people coming to find him. I'll call you if he's not there."

Aang nodded. "We'll keep an eye out just in case," he said, and Sokka patted his shoulder.

"Thanks, buddy." He turned to Katara. "I'll call you, okay?"

Katara gave him a thumbs up, and he turned and ran out of the house, yelling quick apologies as he barreled through groups of people.

* * * * * * *

Sokka was right. Zuko was outside, his face screwed up and his breathing heavy as he sat on the grass outside the house, whispering something to himself with his hands pressed to his ears, trying to drown out the bass audible even outside the house.

Sokka ran up to him, crouching down next to Zuko, his heart breaking into a million tiny pieces when he realized that Zuko was whispering _Sokka'scomingsoonSokka'scomingsoonSokka'scomingsoon_ to himself over and over again. Zuko turned, having felt Sokka's approaching footsteps, and pulled one hand away from his ear and reached out to grip Sokka's arm, still breathing hard.

"Baby, I am so, so sorry," Sokka whispered, "It was so loud and I didn't realize you were gone. I'm so sorry. Do you want to go home?"

Zuko nodded hard, leaning forward and clutching Sokka tightly. Sokka wrapped one arm around Zuko, pulling his phone out of his pocket with the other.

"I'll call a Lyft," Sokka said, typing in his passcode. "It'll be here faster than if I go inside and find Katara so she can drive us home."

"Won't that be—" Zuko tried to force the words out, struggling to speak between his heavy breathing and panic. "Won't that be expensive?"

"Don't worry about it, baby," Sokka said, opening the Lyft app and pressing Zuko closer. "Right now we just need to go home. And — done," he said, making a final tap. "It's on its way now."

Zuko squeezed Sokka closer. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Of course," Sokka replied, tucking his phone in his pocket and lacing his free hand with Zuko's. "Where's your ear plugs?"

Zuko was silent for a moment as he struggled to speak. "I put them in your bag by accident," he managed to get out finally, and Sokka immediately reached for his fanny pack, finding the ear plugs quickly and handing them to Zuko, who put them in his ears, relaxing slightly. Sokka ran his hands down Zuko's arms, applying the pressure Zuko liked, grounding him until the Lyft arrived.

* * * * * * *

After about ten minutes and three separate calls from Sokka assuring Toph, Jet, and Aang and Katara that Zuko was okay, the Lyft arrived, blasting what sounded like 100 gecs layered with Led Zeppelin at full volume. Sokka's heart practically stopped. Zuko's ear plugs were good, but they weren't that good.

He took Zuko's hand in his own and pulled him up, walking them over to the car. Sokka tapped on the window, louder a second time after the driver didn't hear him, until she rolled it down.

Sokka bent down to talk to her, Zuko’s grip on his hand tightening as he leaned forward.

“Um, excuse me,” he said, “I don’t mean to be rude, but would you be able to turn the music down? My boyfriend is on the spectrum and he doesn’t do well with loud noise.”

The driver glanced up at Sokka. 

“Sure,” she said, hitting the mute button. "Should I play something he would like, or does he just want quiet?"

"Quiet would be great," Sokka said, giving her a smile, and she nodded, motioning for them to get in the back.

Zuko followed Sokka into the backseat, still gripping his hand tightly, and held on tight all the way back to their apartment.

* * * * * * *

By the time they got off the Lyft, Zuko had calmed down a bit but was still breathing hard, and as he pulled hard at his collar Sokka could tell his clothes were bothering him. (He still didn't know why Zuko had worn business casual to a house party, despite Sokka trying to convince him otherwise at first, but Zuko insisted it was proper etiquette. Zuko looked really cute in nice clothes, in any clothes really, so Sokka didn't dispute him, not realizing how uncomfortable it was.)

As they went up in the elevator, Zuko started tugging at his clothes more frantically, pulling at the sleeves of his jacket. When they stepped inside of the door to their apartment, tears had formed in his eyes as he bit his lip and hyperventilated, pulling at his collar, trying to keep from screaming and disturbing the neighbors.

"Zuko, do you want me to help you change?" Sokka asked as soon as he closed the door and Zuko had pulled out his ear plugs in the safety of the quiet apartment. Zuko nodded hard, shaking, unconsciously fisting his hands and rubbing them against his sides.

“Zuko, baby, look at me,” Sokka said. “Or, wait, don’t look at me. But I need you to unclench your hands so I can take your jacket off, okay? And then we need to go to our room so I can get your pajamas.”

Zuko nodded and uncurled his fingers, letting Sokka pull off his jacket and walk him to their bedroom.

"I'm gonna go get your soft pants and shirt," Sokka continued. "Can you change out of the rest while I do that?"

Zuko nodded, twisting his hands.

Sokka turned around, opening the door to the small walk-in closet they shared. Once inside, he barely managed not to trip over a pile of old engineering textbooks he'd forgotten to sell. _I should do that soon_ , he thought, then shook his head. "Not right now, Sokka," he muttered to himself.

He pulled Zuko's bin of comfortable clothes off the shelf in the corner, digging around for the right t-shirt and pants. When he finally found them (a red pair of pants that was just a little fluffy on the inside, warm and stretchy with minimal seams and no ties, and a soft shirt with the Jasmine Dragon's logo on it and the tag cut out of the neck that Iroh had gotten made especially for Zuko), he made his way back to Zuko as fast as he could without disturbing the neighbors on the floor below them. (They'd already gotten multiple complaints about Sokka jumping up and down while playing video games at ungodly hours, and Sokka didn't want to get any more.)

When he saw Zuko sitting on the bed, hyperventilating and grinding his teeth to keep from screaming as he tugged his hair with one hand, scratching his shoulder with the other, and kicking his ankles against the bedframe, his heart dropped.

"Baby, what's wrong?" he asked, kneeling in front of Zuko and pulling his hands away from his hair and shoulder.

Zuko met his eyes and then quickly looked away, kicking his ankles harder on the wood of the bedframe as he managed to sob out, "Don't want my hair anymore."

"Why?"

"Cut it off,” Zuko sobbed. "I don't want it. It's scratching my neck."

“Baby, you’ve been growing your hair out for two years. I don’t think I should cut it off for you right now,” Sokka said, moving to sit next to Zuko on the bed. “But I can,” he continued, smoothing Zuko’s hair away from his neck, “tie it up for you.” He twisted Zuko’s hair up into a bun with one hand and pulled the hair tie from his wolftail with the other, using it to secure Zuko’s hair. “Is that better?”

Zuko nodded, reaching out to grip Sokka’s hand. Sokka squeezed back, running his thumb along Zuko's palm.

"Do you want me to help you change out of the rest?" Sokka asked. Zuko nodded again.

"Here, stand up for me, baby," Sokka said, pulling Zuko to his feet. He unbuttoned Zuko's shirt, Zuko breathing out audibly in relief when Sokka undid the top button, then the next few, and pulled it off. Sokka handed him the Jasmine Dragon t-shirt, and Zuko pulled it over his head as Sokka undid his belt and unzipped his pants, pulling them and Zuko's boxers down, folding up the suit and putting the shirt in the laundry while Zuko pulled on his red pajama pants.

"Better?" Sokka asked when he was finished and Zuko was sitting on the edge of the bed again. Zuko nodded, reaching out his hands, and Sokka pulled Zuko into his side, one hand around Zuko's waist as he sat down and Zuko wrapped his arms around him.

Sokka used his other hand to smooth Zuko’s bangs, which were sticking up in various directions. “If you still want to cut your hair off tomorrow, I’ll do it for you,” he said. “Promise. But I didn't want you to wake up tomorrow and regret it after you spent so long growing it out.” He moved his free hand down from Zuko’s bangs and wiped away the tears that had collected under Zuko’s eyes with his thumb. "Sounds good?"

"Yeah," Zuko said quietly, pointedly refusing even a moment of eye contact with Sokka.

"Are you okay, baby?" Sokka asked, frowning, and Zuko nodded but let go of Sokka and pulled his knees to his chest, hiding his face.

"No you're not," Sokka said firmly. "What's wrong?"

Zuko shook his head, face still buried in his knees.

"Baby, as much as I wish I was, I'm not a mind reader. I want to help you but you have to tell me what's wrong," Sokka said, stroking Zuko's back.

Zuko said something, but his voice was muffled by his knees, so Sokka only made out the word "embarrassed."

"Did you say you're embarrassed?"

Zuko nodded slightly, face still hidden. Sokka wrapped his arm around Zuko, pulling him close.

"Baby, we've talked about this before. I know when you were growing up your dad made you feel like there was something wrong with you," Sokka said softly, squeezing Zuko. "But there's nothing wrong with you. Nothing at all," Sokka continued, voice breaking, trying to keep himself from crying. "You process things differently. And that's okay. I wouldn't have it any other way." He smoothed Zuko's bangs again, the only part of his face not hidden by his knees. "Okay?"

"Okay," Zuko whispered, finally pulling his face up from his knees. He hid his face in Sokka's neck instead, and they sat there for a minute, and Zuko started  nuzzling his face into Sokka's neck. Sokka pressed his lips together but couldn't keep from laughing.

"Stop it!" he giggled. "You know I'm ticklish there." He felt Zuko's small smile against his neck, and warmth bubbled up in his chest.

"Maybe I do," Zuko whispered. "So what?"

"So—" Sokka started laughing again as Zuko rubbed his nose just beneath his jaw. "Zuko! I need to change still."

Zuko stilled, pulling back slightly but still gripping Sokka tightly as he rested his forehead against Sokka's cheek.

"I'll tuck you in and go change, then I'll come back and we can go to sleep. Does that sound good?" Sokka asked, and felt Zuko's slight nod against his cheek. "Okay, come on." 

He pulled Zuko onto the bed, and Zuko pulled the bedspread over himself while Sokka reached for the weighted blanket folded and laid out at the edge of the bed. Sokka had gotten it custom-made for Zuko as a gift for him three years ago, and it was half red and half blue, Zuko's special request (he said it made him happy to see both his and Sokka's favorite colors). Sokka unfolded the weighted blanket, hearing the glass beads inside clink ever so slightly, and then leaned over to lay it out over Zuko.

"I still don't understand how you don't get hot with both the bedspread and the blanket on top of you," Sokka teased.

"I'm just built different," Zuko replied, a smile playing at his lips.

"That you are," Sokka laughed, pressing a kiss to Zuko's cheek. "That you are."

Sokka managed to change and get ready for bed quickly, forcing himself not to get sidetracked on one of the many things he remembered while doing so. Last he brushed out his hair, letting it fall properly around his face after managing to brush out the indent from the hair tie out (mostly).

At last he pulled off his shirt and clambered into bed next to Zuko, who was curled up under the blankets, eyes closed but opening them when he felt his boyfriend get under the covers.

"So," Sokka said, turning to look at Zuko. "Tell me about Love Amongst the Dragons."

Zuko gave him a look. "I know a lot about Love Amongst the Dragons," he said. "You have to say what you want to know specifically. And anyways, I thought we were going to sleep."

"We are soon," Sokka said. "But I want you to tell me about the new book series they're doing. The adaptation one, not the spinoff."

Zuko grinned, and Sokka could tell how much his face was lighting up even in the dark. "We don't know that much yet because Five Dragons Publishing hasn't released much information," he recited. "But according to Hira'a Co., which owns the Love Amongst the Dragons franchise if you remember, says that it's going to be a tetralogy, with one book centered on Noren, one centered on the Dark Water Spirit, one centered on the Dragon Empress, and the last one telling the original story but with more detail and in prose rather than as a play. They're going to delve a lot further into the Dark Water Spirit's backstory specifically, and explore why it cursed Noren. There's a lot of theories about what the Dark Water Spirit's past is, but I have my own, and it's based on both the cover art and the subtext of the original play—" Zuko continued, Sokka looking on adoringly as his boyfriend rambled about his theory that the Dark Water Spirit itself was cursed. As Zuko's words got quieter and Sokka saw him yawning, Sokka pulled him close, wrapping his arms around Zuko and running a hand down Zuko's side as Zuko smiled, twining his fingers with Sokka's.

"What do you think?" Zuko asked after he finished detailing out his theory.

"That was a really good theory, babe," Sokka said, grinning. "You backed up everything with evidence from the Dragons canon. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the book has exactly what you said in it."

"Really?" Zuko asked, looking up at Sokka.

"Of course, baby," Sokka replied. "You know more about Love Amongst the Dragons than anyone I know, including your mom."

"Thanks," Zuko said, yawning. "Do you want to go to sleep now?"

"That sounds like a very good idea," Sokka said, pulling him closer.

"Wait," Zuko said, yawning even louder. "Can you put the weighted blanket on us?"

"Sure thing," Sokka said, pulling the blanket on top of them.

"Red side on you, blue side on me," Zuko said sleepily. "Sharing."

"Sharing," Sokka agreed as he complied.

Zuko snuggled closer happily and drifted off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Iroh ordered Zuko's shirt from Etsy. He doesn't understand technology that well but figured it out for Zuko :) Now he's addicted to online shopping and also getting fidget/stim toys for Zuko and Sokka (they have a whole collection of Tangles just from Iroh, and a weighted toy version of Momo that creeps Zuko out but Sokka loves).
> 
> I hate when people say in their modern AUs that Ursa left, because she would never just up and leave. In my mind in any modern AU, Ursa and Ozai had a custody battle but Ozai lied in court and threw around some money so that Ursa wasn't able to reopen the case, and Zuko was only able to see her legally after he turned eighteen (idk how custody law works but that makes more sense to me than Ursa just leaving). So that's why I mentioned her at the end.
> 
> I think Zuko would like touch a lot (specifically from people he trusts) and it wouldn't bother him sensory-wise and would actually be good for him. After Ursa had to leave he probably missed it a lot, and once he started dating Sokka, in my mind he told Sokka about that and Sokka made up his mind to touch Zuko whenever he can and figure out what level of pressure Zuko likes, which also helps him calm down.
> 
> If you liked it, I'd love it if you let me know in the comments! I don't always respond but I love reading feedback. I'd really appreciate it on this one especially because there's barely any autistic Zuko content out there so I was like Fine I Will Make It Myself, and I'd love to hear if you liked it!


End file.
